This invention relates to the manufacture of foam coated rod-like elements, particularly for use in supporting pot-grown plants in general.
Generally, for supporting pot-grown plants, plastic material extruded tubes are currently utilized which are wrapped in natural moss, firmly tied to the tubes with a thread or wire length.
Furthermore, an accessory is also available for wetting the moss such that the plants, and especially those having aerial roots as well (e.g., potus-philodendron, etc.), may absorb moisture. Such an accesory is comprised of a plastic bottle which is secured to the top of the plant support and provided with an adjustable aperture with a valve and tube allowing the water to drip out, thus creating a water reserve supply.
The implementation of the cited support types poses currently some problems, since in many areas the collection of moss is forbidden, in order not to depauperate the natural vegetation reserves, and moreover, from investigations carried out, it appears that natural moss is growing scarcer, thereby the manufacturers of the cited supports are compelled to use straw wrappings, or even import layered moss.
These approaches, in addition to being scarcely convenient from the economical point of view, have failed to be at all times satisfactory; in fact, for example, the straw material, besides requiring in most cases a green colour dyeing process to simulate a moss covered stick, tends in time to rot away, thus losing its functionality.
Another noticeable shortcoming resides in that the water reserve supply accessories, besides being unpractical, contain rather limited amounts of water, thereby they have short duration limits and require frequent refilling.
An attempt has also be made to replace the natural moss with a spongy material wrapped around the rod-like element. However such spongy material did not adhere strongly enough onto the rod-like element, so that after a relatively short time the peeling thereof from the rod-like element occurred.